I was never a very bright scholar at school. I remember my sister usurping me when I was doing homework. When my Mother schooled me in arithmetic my sister would always pipe up with the answers before I had a chance to even think about them. She had a bent for math, I didn’t. I was 7, she was 4. I was pretty average at school, usually scraping through with 60% or so, my favourite subjects were English, Geography and History. They still are. But I can add numbers in my head…impresses my daughter no end. LOL

I left school very young at 16, and started work just before my 17th birthday. Even at work I wasn’t very bright, but I learned as I went and eventually over the years I progressed from being a very bad typist (using 2 fingers which gained me a lot of raps on the knuckles from my manager), to gaining a Distinction in Credit Management when I was 47…only took 30 years!! Nothing slow about me at all LOL

I stumbled into my career and the fact that I ended up in Credit Management had nothing to do with my math skills, but rather my ongoing learning….every new job I got, I took on more duties and learned more and more. My success in Credit Management came from my OCD when it comes to keeping things in order and being specific and having a winning way with people on the phone; persuading them to part with their money (I loved that aspect). I learned a lot over the years and went on to attain a position as a Credit Manager managing the Debtor books for a group of 5 companies and a staff of 10 ladies. I loved every minute of that job (except when my boss was being a shit).

And then just for fun I gave it all up (the company closed down), and travelled to Ireland which is where my real education began. I learned so much about history, lifestyle, and freedom. I loved living there so much I only returned to South Africa long enough to get my Ancestral Visa and head straight back to the UK never to return to SA on a permanent basis (I’m now a British citizen).

My mind has expanded beyond my comprehension and more recently I’ve had the ‘pleasure’ of learning about Crypto Currency. Jeez. If ever you want a learning curve on a big scale, try getting involved with Crypto Currency. My brain!!!! I had such a headache last night when I went to bed.

My daughter recently bought into Bitcoin. Now I had and have been very sceptical about Bitcoin and although I had been invited to buy into it last year when it was still at $200 a coin, I refrained…mostly because I didn’t have a clue what it was and I was afraid of investing in something so new…my loss as it turns out.

However, as mentioned my daughter sprang a surprise on me last week by sending me a message to say she’d bought into Bitcoin. I was like wft?? Seriously!? Anyhow, long discussion/discourse short, after many messages and discussions back and forth and because I trust my daughter implicitly, I decided to take the plunge and buy into it. Especially now that it’s at $8,000 + HAHAHAHA The story of my life. I always end up watching the bandwagon heading off into the distance saying ‘I wish I had of….’ Like the time in the early 1990’s when I had the opportunity to buy shares in a newly fledged Mobile phone company (whose name shall remain unmentioned), and I said “No! They’ll (mobile phones) never last” or when Facebook launched their shares…I was like nahhh. Well the missed lessons of the past haunt me still and I still miss out on technological happenings.

So when Bitcoin first arrived on the scene…I was like “Nope, not for me thanks”. I remember one of my now ex Facebook friends said to me “I can make you rich”. Well alarm bells went off in my head (a carry over from the Tony Robbins era), and I just said sorry not now. He unfriended me. His loss.

But, since I trust my daughter explicitly, and since I know she is very careful with her money, after she invested I thought…okay how much can I comfortably invest without feeling too much angst. I settled on 3.5 days of work and that’s the amount I invested.

All fine and good….and with her help and guidance and downloading apps I’d never heard of, I bought a VERY tiny portion of 1 Bitcoin. And then the learning began. Now I recognise most of the words they use, I understand what they mean individually, but in the context they are used in relation to Crypto Currency, I’ve said ‘wtf’ a lot this last few days!!! LOL. I may as well be reading Russian for all that any of it means anything to me…..

But I’m learning. And it has been fascinating. I learned about how to buy a TINY portion of a Bitcoin, about opening a ‘wallet’, about ‘selling’ (and how they charge a commission that makes my heart skip a beat), about watching the graphs (if you want to have a nervous breakdown…..that’s a good place to start), about buying another up and coming Crypto Currency using a Bitcoin. Holy Moly. Talk about a curve…those graphs have nothing on this. It’s scary, and thrilling and invigorating and I have learned once again that I have seriously latent issues with and about money. Most specifically the loss of money. The ABBA song ‘Money, Money, Money’ springs to mind.

I’m quite happy to take on more difficult jobs, to work and save up £1000 over 18 months so that I can take a walk across Portugal and Spain, but as soon as I watch the graphs and see my investment going down….eish. Painful. Red is bad, Green is good!!

So I’ve now I’m ‘learning’ to not watch the graphs…they change by the second. I check at 8am and make a note of the value (I had a spreadsheet up within hours of buying my first coin), and then at 10pm I make a note of the values and that is it. I’ve learned how to set ‘alerts’ and what a good alert is. I’m now learning about the terminology and how it applies to this crazy world. (okay, so I lied…I check at 1pm too 😉 )

There are apps galore; crypto news, crypto trackers, coin market, binance, crypto signals, bitcoin news, ico market….and on and on. Who knew? It’s a whole new world. I’ve only just learned how to operate instagram for goodness sake!! Oh and if you look at the apps on google play…right next to the crypto currency apps you’ll find an app for ‘meditation & relaxation’ – someone knows their market LOL

Meanwhile I’ve been reading as much as possible on Crypto Currency. Did you know there are over 750 different Crypto Currencies?? With names like YOYO & EOS & QSP & ADA & QTUM and yeah TNT!!! There’s even a SALT!! LOL I mean seriously, it’s insane. But I’m ignoring the lot except for the 3 I’ve invested in.

At 62, there’s only so much excitement a brain and heart can take.

Ever feel like you’re living in a Matrix?

Today, even though it’s doing my head in, I’m grateful for learning…..who knows where it will take me this time!!

Okay so today I’m grateful for being able to cook. LOL I know that sounds really weird, but it is a huge benefit being able to cook. How often have you heard “he/she can’t even boil an egg”.

Yesterday I mentioned about working as a Carer and how it fills my desire to travel. One of the most important aspects of working as a Carer is being able to cook healthy nutritious meals. Most of the people I’ve worked for have it written in the job description : “likes a good home-cooked meal”. Okay that I can do.

Now to be honest I don’t like cooking. I find it tedious and a complete waste of time. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy eating 😉 Just not the time it takes to prepare a meal. I’ve said for decades that the day they invent a tablet that turns into a beautiful plate of food after being heated in a machine like a microwave, is the day I will cheer loudly and celebrate.

I love the smell of a good meal, I love the taste of a good meal, but I do not like the preparation and the cleaning up afterwards. Boring and tedious.

I was lucky to grow up during the 60’s and 70’s in South Africa. Firstly my Mother was a brilliant cook and taught my sisters and I how to cook. Although even then I didn’t enjoy it, I learned. Then at school, before it was considered sexist to have Home Economics for girls and Woodwork classes for boys, we had cooking classes. During those classes we learned how to prepare an extraordinary range of food, from vegetable to full on roast meals.

And for that I am grateful. I am grateful my Mother taught me how to cook, I am grateful I learned even more in school.

I am able to prepare really good, basic home cooked meals for my clients and of course I was able to prepare really good healthy meals for my daughter when she was growing up. I still do… whenever I spend time with her and her fiance, I prepare a dish of macaroni cheese…..always goes down a treat.

one of my daughter’s favourite meals; macaroni cheese

My daughter is now following suit and prepares some amazing meals for the two of them

Celebrating Christmas

a good roast meal for Xmas

Cooking is a skill. It doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Some people just have a knack for it, like my sister just younger than me who cooks a dream. But on the whole, cooking is something that needs to be learned….I was lucky enough to have been taught.

Just read a very interesting article about ‘Internet Marketing’ and this quote jumped out at me like a bombshell – “What we like to do here is OPM: Other People’s Money.” I recall how the many ‘Guru’s’ whose courses I have attended used the same terminology as well as which I could list about 8 ‘guru’s’ who have managed to separate me from the balance on my credit cards, who all say much the same thing….eg they ‘suggest’ to you that you should make the most of OPM…eg your credit cards coz you will make the money back once you do their course, sign up for their programme….. blah blah blah. And so after reading this article I am once again reminded of how they use their fancy terminology to separate you and your money, in this case me and my money.

hmmm….very interesting. So I am posting this for all the folks out there who have not yet been scammed into joining up/signing up for/or in any other way getting hooked into what appears to be a great way to earn money…..and it certainly is….for the person who has just scammed you into paying for their programme. I know there are many folks out there who have lost a fortune to these tricksters…..and one of them is me!!! and I didn’t even want to ‘get rich quick’, I just wanted a way to earn a decent living from home.

It makes for very interesting reading, and of course I most certainly do recognise some of the names……just a pity I can’t draw up my own ‘name & shame’ list. He should also include ‘multi-level marketing in here, not coz they have the same philosophy (although some of them do employ underhand tricks), but because you are led to believe certain things with clever words and then when you get going you realise that it is just a numbers game and you are just a number, then you become a statistic and they really don’t give a toss about you afterwards. When you are making them money…they know you, if you are not….you never hear a word.

You may or may not know it yet, but I love twitter. To me it is one of the best internet inventions ever….well besides the internet of course 🙂

I’ve said before that I could quite happily spend the whole day on twitter; following links, retweeting quotes, chatting to friends around the world, connecting with new friends I noticed mentioned by current friends, having a laugh at the jokes, responding to mentions, having a peek into someone else’s life: finding out what they like, who they don’t like, what they think of Tiger Woods, who is visiting starbucks, who loves tea, who has been where, whose kids are on spring break, photo’s of gorgeous places, who is sitting on a carribean beach, what is happening 6,000 miles away, who is passionate about which cause, who supports those causes, who is selling what, and why, who writes poetry, whose baby has just been born, whose birthday it is, celebrating their achievements, who is passionate about their garden, who shares my interest in travel, which people lean towards religion and who doesn’t and much much more…….you know what I mean.

And this got me to thinking about the etiquette of twitter, about how it is we get to connect with the people behind the profiles and I wondered if twetiquette is the same as etiquette and do the same rules apply when we are relatively anonymous behind a computer screen as opposed to being face to face.

Etiquette (pronounced [,eti’ket]) is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group. The French word étiquette, signifying ticket (of admission, etc.) first appeared in English in 1750.

So if I understand that correctly; etiquette in simple terms is a code of behaviour within a social class or group. How then is etiquette practised in the world of twitter.

In a normal social setting it is good etiquette to introduce yourself, to shake hands in greeting (or whatever the correct social norm would be in your any particular country), to engage in polite conversation, to enquire after someones health and if you feel comfortable in the environment you then engage further and enquire as to career or family ties, do they participate in a sport, what sort of music they enjoy and so through a repartee of conversation within the norm of a social setting you get to find out more about the person you are communicating with.

On twitter your introduction is your profile: you have an opportunity to introduce yourself. I come along, I have a look and if we speak the same language or like similar things we then ‘follow’ : we shake hands.

Next I post a tweet that I am about to go on holiday or I re-tweet an interesting link you have posted about travel tips or an exciting destination – you respond and as we engage so we get to learn more about one another: conversation.

Then perhaps a friend comes along and we think the person we are with might like to meet them, so we introduce them: @mention the person and if possible we say why aka #ff or #followfriday

Sometimes over the course of time we find that the things they say aka ‘tweet’ are of no real interest, so we move on : unfollow

When we first meet a new person in a normal social settings we dont just jump in with the company’s latest advert : marketing links

And I dislike the idea of ‘automated’ following programmes to build numbers : running down the street ‘shouting..be my friend’?!

So here is my idea of twetiquette:

Follow = I like you and think we may have things in common

Retweet your post = I find your post interesting and would like to share it with others

@mention you and comment on something you said previously = conversation

Click on a link you posted = taking an interest in what you have to say

Retweet the link = I think other people might also be interested

Retweet a comment you made eg a quote = repartee

#followfriday = I think youre a great person and would like to introduce you to my other friends

So, those are just some of my ideas! What are your thoughts on the matter?

According to the Sunday Times of 08.11.09 the jobless graduate tally has hit 100,000.

The number of jobless university leavers is expected to break the 100,000 barrier, heightening fears of a “lost generation”.

Tens of thousands of out-of-work graduates from the class of 2009 have joined the 70,000 from last year who have still not found employment, official figures are expected to confirm.

The flood of applicants for the shrinking number of graduate jobs had led recruiters to become increasingly tough in their entrance requirements.

Unemployment data published by the Office for National Statistics will also show that the total number of jobless under 25 passed the 1million barrier in October, up from 946,000 in August. The number of new graduates unable to find a job means the nearly 8% of those aged under 25 with a degree are now without a job.

So where does that leave the over 50’s?

As the years have gone by employers tend to employ people who are younger rather than the over 50’s and ageism has crept into the workplace, despite protests to the contrary. Reaching 50 can be quite daunting and it is extremely difficult to compete with the younger generation for jobs, especially if you are returning to the workplace after a break.

Did you know: the number of Baby Boomers alive in 2030 will be 57.8 million! And far from dwindling into the mists of time and irrelevance, born between 1946 & 1964, Baby Boomers are the largest demographic segment today!

I was reading an article in the November 2008 issue of Good Housekeeping and came across an article about women who had made major changes in their lives, and one of them really caught my eye.

The lady in question at the age of 52, divorced her husband, went to America to retrain as a Life Coach, set up her own business and now has her own home and freedom she never experienced before.

Was it easy? Probably not!

You could settle for the Job Centre route, becoming a statistic on a long list of people waiting for employment, or you could take a leap of faith and start your own business.

Why start your own business? There is a tremendous risk involved with starting up your own business. There are many issues to be considered, particularly finance, and yet, in this age of insecurity and retrenchments, with more and more people being made redundant, the option of a job becomes less and less likely and less attractive.

So what are the options?

The first thing to consider is what experience do you have, what do you enjoy and what are you passionate about? Statistics have proven that if you really love what you do, you will make a success of it.

Get together with a group of friends and brainstorm some ideas. You would be amazed at what our friends know about us! 🙂

Do you enjoy writing? You could do a course and put together a book, it could be about something you have a lot of experience in, a ‘How To’ if you like.

Do you enjoy dancing? You could set up a group for your peers and charge them per session

Do you have expertise in sewing? You could offer basic lessons to the mothers at the local school, in today’s economic climate many women would probably like to save a bit make their kiddies clothes.

Perhaps you had a career in Accounting; consider setting up a training course on how to set and manage budgets.

You could also consider joining an MLM or Network Marketing Company. The set up costs are usually minimal and the industry has produced more millionaires in the last 50 years than any other industry in the world, ever. In 2008 Avon received a massive boost when a young lady, Debbie Davis who had lost her job, became an Avon representative, aged just 29 she became Britain’s most successful seller.

You could set up a Joint Venture with someone, pool your experiences and offer your services.

On another level, you could offer courses at the local Community Centre. What about painting, or drawing or cooking; think Nigella Lawson.

Are you good with your hands? Many women are exceptionally handy with their hands and have had years of experience fixing things in the house; d.i.y. You could offer a basic service in the neighbourhood; changing light bulbs, plugs, whatever; offer a service.

What is available for women our age, the Baby Boomers?

And as we explore those options, let us celebrate the unalienable fact that we have so many more opportunities open to us than our mothers did. We are no longer constrained by the rules of society, we have a choice and in exercising those choices we are able to experience the freedom that brings.

Time was that being ‘old’ in the job market meant 70, maybe 60. Now, when you hit 40, you can be considered ‘over the hill.’

It’s mostly because of stereotypes. Even though people are living longer and healthier lives, employers still worry that an older employee will cost more money for healthcare. They also believe, wrongly, that older employees won’t understand technology. Many organizations think that people who didn’t grow up in the digital world can’t or won’t adapt fast enough. And finally some employers just see the divide between Baby Boomer and Generation X or Y as too great for effective teamwork.

So, say you are 40 or so, or 50. What do you need to remember when applying for a job?

1. Don’t give your age away! Make sure your resume doesn’t date you. Omit your graduation dates. Especially if you graduated before the recruiter was born. Include only ten to fifteen years of experience, any more will show your age.

2. Look good for your age, or younger! Gray hair, a 20 year-old suit and an ‘80s tie was okay at your last job but now it dates you. Get a professional makeover so that you look your best. Impressions matter!

3. It’s illegal under federal law for employers to ask you about your age — but that doesn’t mean they won’t try. Watch out for questions that ask you to detail your career history with dates. You may be giving your age away when you say, “Yes, I was at Microsoft for 20 years.”

Interviewers cannot ask questions about your family, but they still do. “So, what does your family think about you taking this job and moving?” “They’re all grown up. I’ll miss the grandkids.” Dated yourself! These types of questions can be finessed: prepare and rehearse.

4. Overcome the age barriers an employer might have. Show that you are healthy and well. Employers are nervous about older candidates because of the cost of health insurance. Talk about running a marathon, coaching Little League, the yoga classes you take. Give examples of how you work well with younger people — a potential employer concern that you may need to address in your interview.

5. Show why you are the best candidate. Have great but succinct stories that highlight your experience, success and its relevance. Do your research in advance to show your insight into their issues and how you can add value.

6. Hit stereotype-based fears up front with humor. Make a joke of your age if that feels right for you. It could be the elephant in the room that you need to feed a banana! Take out your iPhone and pretend you don’t know how to use it — and then show that you are a whiz with the latest app.

Of course, humor can be tricky, so rehearse your ideas with a trusted colleague. Employers sometimes think that older employees can’t work with technology so prove them wrong, and cite an example of a recent job problem you solved using technology.

Good luck in your job hunting.” end of article.

Wow, some great tips there. Wjat are your thoughts on being over 40 and returning to work, or even just working. Personally I am retiring at 55 🙂